Baba Siddique murder: Dharmaraj Kashyap, one of the accused who allegedly shot dead NCP leader Baba Siddique, is not a minor, the police said on Sunday after his court-ordered bone ossification test. He was later presented before the court and sent to police custody till October 21.
The court had ordered the test after the accused's lawyer claimed he was a minor. An ossification test is a medical procedure to determine a person's age.
Meanwhile, since gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's name cropped up in the case, the Mumbai police have enhanced security outside Galaxy apartments, the house of actor Salman Khan.
Here are 10 points on Baba Siddique's murder:
Mumbai's Esplanade Court had ordered the ossification test on Kashyap. "His (Dharmaraj Kashyap's) lawyer claimed he was a minor. The test was conducted, and it was confirmed that he was not a minor. He was produced in court, and the court has granted police custody till October 21," said the Mumbai police. Earlier, Gurmail Singh, another accused in the Baba Siddique murder case, was sent to the Mumbai crime branch's custody till October 21. The third shooter, identified as Shivakumar, is absconding.
The police on Sunday arrested another person in connection with the sensational murder case, from Pune. Pravin Lonkar, 28, was the alleged handler of Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam.
One police constable was guarding Siddique when he was fatally shot, an official said, adding that two pistols and 28 live cartridges were recovered from the two accused – Gurmail Singh (23) and Kashyap. Kashyap and Shivkumar are from the state's Bahraich district and have no criminal history. Singh is from Haryana.
A Lawrence Bishnoi gang member on Sunday claimed responsibility for Baba Siddique's murder saying the attack was carried out because the politician had close ties with actor Salman Khan. The police are verifying the authenticity of the post.
The dreaded Bishnoi gang had been behind the shooting outside Salman Khan's house earlier this year. It is also behind the murder of Punjabi singer-songwriter Sidhu Moosewala.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde said the culprits won't be spared. "Yesterday's incident of Baba Siddique's murder is unfortunate. Mumbai Police have arrested two persons -- one from UP and the other from Haryana. The third accused is absconding... He will be arrested soon. They will not be spared, no matter who they are, be it the Bishnoi gang or any underworld gang. Strict action will be taken," he said, adding those receiving threats will get adequate security cover.
The murder has triggered a war of words between the government and the opposition. The Congress said the BJP-led state government failed to protect its own leaders. “It is a government that is on its last legs. With this, the countdown for its exit has begun,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X. Rahul Gandhi said the murder exposed the complete collapse of law and order in the state. “The tragic demise of Baba Siddique ji is shocking and saddening. My thoughts are with his family in this difficult time. This horrifying incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. The government must take responsibility, and justice must prevail," Gandhi said on X.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray said each move of the Shinde government was being looked upon with suspicion. Sharad Pawar, whose NCP (SP) is another MVA partner, said there was a need to take responsibility for the incident and for the rulers to step down.
BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, meanwhile, said Sena (UBT) and Congress leaders were making “extremely petty statements” over the incident. “Baba Siddique was a great human being. We are all saddened by his murder. Two of those involved in his murder have been caught and a probe is on to find out those who were behind this,” he told PTI. Senior BJP leader and former union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also slammed opposition leaders and said it was not right for them to make “insensitive remarks on such a sensitive issue”.
Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his office in Nirmal Nagar in Mumbai on Saturday night when he was bursting firecrackers. He sustained several gunshot wounds. He was laid to rest on Sunday. Salman Khan was one of the several prominent personalities who visited the victim's house in Bandra to pay their last respects.
